Lewis Hamilton quickest in final practice as Mercedes impress in Monza

By Philip Duncan, PA F1 Correspondent, Monza

Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two in final practice for the Italian Grand Prix.

Hamilton, bidding to claim a record sixth win at Monza’s Temple of Speed, saw off teammate George Russell by just 0.093 seconds.

Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari at the team’s home track, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fourth and fifth respectively for McLaren. Norris’ championship rival Max Verstappen finished sixth.

It's bragging rights to Mercedes ahead of qualifying 👊

Here's the full FP3 classification, including a top ten appearance for rookie Franco Colapinto 👏#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/MRoC41pUZX

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2024

Hamilton led the way in second practice here on Friday, and the seven-time world champion is set to be a prominent contender for pole position in qualifying later.

However, the top five were separated by just 0.145 seconds with Ferrari and McLaren ready to pounce.

Verstappen finished 0.251secs behind Hamilton, with teammate Sergio Perez way down the order in 18th as Red Bull appeared to be struggling for pace.

Qualifying to determine the grid for Sunday’s 53-lap race takes place at 4pm local time (3pm GMT).